Boethiah
Boethiah or Boethia (in Daedric script, ) is the Daedric Prince of deceit, conspiracy, treachery and sedition''The Book of Daedra'' who rules over the realm of Attribution's Share.Imperial Census of Daedra Lords They are a major Daedra in regards to the Dunmer, both in positive and negative veneration. A violent Daedric Prince, Boethiah is known for their enjoyment in the suffering of mortals. He has many artifacts, and can be summoned on the 2nd of Sun's Dusk. Personality and traits Like all Daedra, Boethiah has no gender in a conventional sense; however, they are traditionally depicted as a strong, caped warrior—often in a stoic pose—while wielding a giant golden battleaxe. Boethiah may sometimes appear as either a male or a female. According to their followers, Boethiah acts the most overtly out of all the Daedric Princes. They appear to enjoy battle and conflict, and their cults often stage huge tournaments to the death to win the Prince's favor.Boethiah's Calling Even among scholars, who frequently reject the common notion that Daedra are all demons, Boethiah is one of the Daedric Princes consistently viewed as evil in the traditional sense. The Prince uses their followers for bloodsport, even turning on their champion for seemingly no reason at times.Boethiah's Glory Like Molag Bal or Mehrunes Dagon, Boethiah actually delights in visiting death and destruction upon mortals, whom he actively strives to torment.Boethiah's Proving Invocation Boethiah is traditionally summoned on the 2nd of Sun's Dusk, on the Gauntlet Holiday.Invocation of Azura Relation to the Dunmer Cultural development Boethiah is one of the three Daedric Princes (along with Azura and Mephala) directly responsible for the existence of the Dunmer as a distinct race.The Changed OnesVarieties of Faith in the Empire During the Mythical Era, the Aldmer worshiped the Aedra Trinimac as their chief god.The True Nature of Orcs These early mer generally lamented their mortal existence as being caused by the trickery of Lorkhan, who manipulated the gods into giving up their immortality to create Nirn. Boethiah approached a group of Trinimac's followers and began preaching to them an alternative viewpoint: that the Aldmer were weak and unworthy of their immortality, and that their mortal existence was a trial which all mer had to endure. (The Dunmer often refer to their mortal lifetime as The Testing.)The House of Troubles To accomplish his goal, Boethiah took on the form of Trinimac himself, and spoke with Trinimac's own voice. Thus, the Prince was able to convince a group of mer, who took the name Chimer (Changed Ones) and followed their leader Veloth to their new home in Morrowind. Boethiah taught the Chimer many ways to be different from the Aldmer. All manner of current Dark Elven cultural advances are credited to Boethiah, ranging from philosophy and magic to their architecture, as well as their current clan-based political system. In most versions of the legend, Boethiah was the source of these ideas, while Azura and Mephala merely aided the Chimer in implementing them. Roles in religion Boethiah continued to play a key role in the religious practices of the Chimer even after they became the Dunmer. Along with Azura and Mephala, Boethiah is worshiped as one of the three "good" Daedra,The Anticipations in opposition to the four "bad" Daedra of the House of Troubles. According to Tribunal dogma, Boethiah is the Anticipation of Almalexia, and submitted to Tribunal rule. However, given Azura's attitudes towards the Tribunal, who make the same claim about her, this is most likely more propaganda than history. located in Raven Rock in the Fourth Era.]] By the Fourth Era following the eruption of the Red Mountain, a new religious movement for the Dunmer people arose, dubbed the Reclamations. This new doctrine declared the downfall of the Tribunal and the rise of their previously named Anticipations as the objects for worship. These Reclamations included Azura, Mephala, and Boethiah, who were "reclaiming their status from the Tribunal." Boethiah's role as a Reclamation is to show the Dunmer people the "true way" from the Old Tribunal's "misguided teachings." However, it is unknown what other roles these include.The Reclamations Etymology Like many of the Daedric Princes, Boethiah's name appears in numerous variations across many eras and cultures. Their shrine in Cyrodiil (in the Valus Mountains near the Morrowind border) is called Boethia's Shrine, and the spelling Boethia occasionally appears in writings. This spelling appears most often associated with their feminine form; though the shrine in Cyrodiil speaks with a masculine voice. Most scholarly texts, such as On Oblivion or The Book of Daedra, use the form Boethiah. The name may also be a reference to Boethius, a late-Roman-era philosopher. The word 'βοήθεια' (Boethia) means 'help' in Ancient Greek - a possibly ironic reference. Associations Daedric Artifacts Other than Goldbrand, Boethiah is associated with artifacts Ebony MailTamrielic Lore and Fearstruck.The Story of Lyrisius The Ebony Mail can still be found these days, though it is difficult to obtain. The last known wearer could have been the Dragonborn. Fearstruck on the other hand, according to The Story of Lyrisius, was destroyed in the Akaviri raid, circa 1E 2703. Ebony Mail Ebony Mail is one of the most powerful cuirasses known. If judged worthy, its power grants the wearer invulnerability to most common magical attacks and forms of drain health. The Eternal Champion was said to be one of the owners of the mail.Imperial Library - Boethiah and Ebony Mail It was hidden in Black Marsh after the previous owner, a warrior named Helath Stormbinder, lost the favor of Boethiah. Following a strange map, the Eternal Champion eventually found the resting place of the mail and retrieved it for their battle against Jagar Tharn. Later on, Boethiah also rewarded the Ebony Mail to the Hero of Daggerfall after they finished an elimination job.Imperial Library - Boethiah and Ebony Mail During the events of , the Nerevarine was said to have obtained the Ebony Mail after completing a Temple quest for Tholer Saryoni, during which the Mail was found atop Mount Assarnibibi.Ebony Mail (Quest) The Ebony Mail appeared once again during the Fourth Era, this time at the hands of the Dragonborn. Boethiah requested that the Dragonborn kill the former Champion of Boethiah, who used the armor for personal gain, rather than in the name of Boethiah. After killing the Champion, the Dragonborn was rewarded with the Ebony Mail. Goldbrand After the Apotheosis of the Tribunal, Boethiah's Morrowind shrine lay forgotten and unused in the northwest of Hla Oad, Vvardenfell, underwater. Boethiah asks the Nerevarine to make a new shrine for him. The Nerevarine asked Duma gro-Lag, a famous sculptor of Caldera. Using the sketch in the book Boethiah's Glory, the orcish sculptor built a new shrine for Boethiah over at Khartag Point, Vvardenfell, Morrowind. After the new shrine was finished, the Nerevarine was rewarded with Goldbrand. The Champion of Cyrodiil was also rewarded with this Goldbrand after they finished Boethiah's test — The Tournament of Ten Bloods — a test of combat skill, where the Champion of Cyrodiil had to defeat nine of Boethiah's champions, with the "Tenth Blood" being the Champion. By the time of , Goldbrand was rumored to be in the ownership of Emperor Titus Mede II during the Battle of the Red Ring when retaking the Imperial City.The Great War Other Daedra Azura and Mephala Boethiah, along with Azura and Mephala, were responsible for directly influencing the direction of the Dunmer people. Boethiah convinced the Chimer to change from the Aldmer and adopt a new style of life. Azura taught the Chimer the mysteries to be different, while Mephala taught them how to evade their enemies or to kill secretly. Mephala also worked with Boethiah to establish the Dunmer clan-based system. As part of the Tribunal doctrine, Boethiah, Azura, and Mephala were named the Anticipations of Almalexia, Sotha Sil, and Vivec, respectively. Their positions changed with the new Reclamations dogma. The former Anticipations became known as the Reclamations in the face of the new and proposed Dunmer religion. Molag Bal Boethiah and Molag Bal have developed a sort of rivalry between each other.Dialogue with Molag Bal The cause is unknown, although it could be because Molag Bal is the Prince of domination and enslavement, whereas Boethiah encourages treason and deceit against authority. The rivalry takes place between Molag Bal and Boethiah, and the two may use their followers to mock the other, which is evident in when Molag Bal requests revenge against a priest of Boethiah who desecrated Molag Bal's shrine in the name of Boethiah. However, it is unknown to what extent their rivalry includes.The House of Horrors Hunger The Hunger is a violent Lesser Daedra associated with Boethiah that has paralyzing powers and is known to even disintegrate armor.Darkest Darkness The Hunger also appears in the Dementia part of the Shivering Isles, the realm of Sheogorath. The reason for being found in the Shivering Isles could allude to Sheogorath’s chaotic nature, thus having another Daedric Prince's lesser Daedra could be normal to him. Trivia *Mehra Nabisi speaks to Boethiah in Where Were You When the Dragon Broke?, who confirms that the Aedra had indeed appeared and re-written history.Where Were You When the Dragon Broke? *Boethiah is invoked in the book Withershins.Withershins *Sotha Sil met with Boethiah on the 3rd of Rain's Hand, 1E 2920.2920, vol 04 - Rain's Hand *In , Boethiah is depicted as a man, but in , they are depicted as a woman. **In the Japanese version of Skyrim, Boethiah uses "ore" (俺) - a masculine form of "I" - to refer to himself, even though the voice actor is female. *Boethiah is voiced by Jean Gilpin, who also lends her voice to Elenwen, Meridia, and Meredith in Dragon Age 2. Appearances * * * * ** de:Boethiah es:Boethiah ru:Боэтия pl:Boethiah fr:Boéthia it:Boethiah Category:Daedra Category:Daedric Princes Category:Oblivion: Characters Category:Skyrim: Characters Category:Oblivion: Males Category:Skyrim: Females Category:Lore: Characters Category:Oblivion: Quest Givers Category:Morrowind: Quest Givers Category:Morrowind: Characters